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@Hebbocake
Fingernails are structural support on human fingers, but claws do not do the same on cats. Also they should be retracted most of the time, anyways, where they’re not visible. Also it’s only half their life if they’re outdoor cats that fight other cats and all – and even then, not really. My cat could still catch prey without them. Also again, I’d notice because I’m a sapient being. Cats are sentient, but not sapient or even self-aware.

I love cats, but you gotta keep it in perspective. They’re not human. They feel, they act on those feelings, have relationships and preferences and personalities, but they don’t really perceive, ponder their life, self, or meta-cognize. Their life really doesn’t extend beyond any particular moment in the self aware way our lives do (they do in some ways – relationships and territory knowledge extend beyond "now", but "self" concepts don’t and don’t even exist in the first place for them). So a little quip like that won’t do – it’s just the sensational pathos sort of false analogy nonsense groups like PETA love to wave around to prey on people’s anthropomorphic tendencies and ignorance of animal cognition.

Human cognition is a wonder of the known natural world, perhaps the greatest wonder of all, not the "norm", as anthropomorphism may have you believe.

What will do if you want to convince me, though, is good science. Like I said, if you can provide a link to good studies that account for confounding variables like formerly mentioned, I’ll really consider it. But for now it makes little consequence as I’m in no such position to make such a decision, and I’m on a short trip.

We should probably wind it down, though. It’s only loosely relevant since Cheerilee acts like a cat but isn’t one? I just keep replying because I don’t want the last word to be "I’m terrible for not opposing this horrible cruel practice". I don’t think it’s any more cruel to a cat than "fixing" them, which is definitely something that should be done. I don’t think cats are even self-aware enough to notice, and scientifically, cats are not self-aware, cute and lovable as they may be, that’s reality. And what you said is a very false analogy, I’m not remaining ambivalent on cutting people’s fingertips off. That’s painful, needed for structural support which is basically our entire lives (tool manipulation like using a keyboard, game controller, steering wheel, pencil, holding books and silverware, etc. etc), and humans are very much self-aware enough to be psychologically harmed by it. If you’re going to anthropomorphize like that, though, then I could just as well say it’s just making them live like us – we can’t really scratch like they can.

A closer analogy might be toes, except your feet look the same and still walk just as well, it’s just when you get mad and punch or kick someone, it’s like punching them with a very cushy mitten on. Like those sockin’ bopper toys.

Which is great so my cats don’t ever really cut each other. They fight sometimes.

But Humans remain the homo sapiens, directly translated roughly as "[the] one [with] wisdom". So until we discover ponies…

@Cirrus Light
Oh believe me they notice, it’s half of their life. Would you be happy if I cut the whole nail part of your fingers off? As long as you don’t repeat it or condone it, it’s good, but it looks like you do.

@Hebbocake
I highly doubt the research even could account for confounding variables. Take health foods for example – is organic actually better for you or are people who eat organic just the kinds who care about health more?

How often are the people who don’t declaw unkind, uncaring, or even mean to their cats, versus people who do?

Account for that in the same populations and maybe I’ll be interested if you can provide the sources, otherwise I’ll just wait to research when I can actually own my own cat and actually have the decision to make…

But it kind of makes me think of people who say pets are slavery and they should be free. I think they’re right about the first part, at least. You really are your cat’s slave :p

But yeah. I don’t think they really even notice their front claws being there or not. Smart as cats are, I don’t think they reflect on their life and bodies.

@Cirrus Light
Gotta love ignorant pet owners that didn’t do the proper research why it’s illegal in most countries and are too lazy to properly teach the cat not to claw on everything when inside. Thus thinking, derp claws gone my house is safe, also better for the cat right?! Ugh, sad.